There has been an increase in students opting for online classes and video lectures over the past few years. While this means you can attend classes from the comfort of your home, you will still need a device to connect and take notes and this is where laptops come in. Be it online classes, exams, lectures, laptops have become essential for students. In addition to attending classes, students also need a laptop for research, making presentations, web browsing, watching movies, playing games and more. Today, there are so many laptops to choose from, right from entry-level to high-end gaming laptops. However, the wealth of choices and feature availabilities make it difficult to choose the best laptop. To help you finalise the best budget laptop, we have compiled a list of some of the most reliable options that you can buy in 2022.
How we do our research
Our ranking criteria
We consider each laptop’s features, weight and size, battery life, display and resolution, processor, RAM, hard drive capacity, operating system and the most important price range. Additionally, we also consider other factors such as brand and warranty.
Things to look for while buying a laptop
Screen size
The ideal screen size of a laptop range from 11 to 17-inches. It is ideal to choose a screen size between 12 and 14 inches as they are easy to carry around. Not just screen size, but the resolution matters too. You should always go for at least 1920 × 1080 resolution Full HD.
Budget
There are laptops with different specifications and features priced from Rs. 25,000 onwards. Decide your budget and restrict your laptop search within that. It will help you to narrow down your search.
CPU
We all are familiar with Intel CPUs but AMD's Ryzen CPUs have been making their way to budget laptops. AMD's Ryzen 4000 and Ryzen 5000 series laptops offer higher performance at a lesser price.
GPU
If you are not going to play games, edit videos/ photos or do other graphics-heavy tasks, then an integrated GPU is more than enough for you to carry on with your daily computing tasks. However, if you are planning to do some gaming and photos/ videos edit then, Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX™ 30 Series laptops will do the job.
HD webcam
A webcam with a high video resolution is a must in a laptop. The higher the resolution, the better will be the video quality while attending online classes or lectures.
RAM
A minimum of 8GB of RAM is essential in current times and for decent working and if you want to perform some heavy tasks then try to get a laptop with 16GB of RAM for a smooth experience.
Features comparison
Laptops
Specifications
Weight
Product link
Mi Notebook Horizon Edition
8GB/ 512GB SSD/ Windows 10/ Nvidia MX350 2GB Graphics
The Mi Notebook Horizon Edition 14 XMA1904-AF features a 14-inch Full HD anti-glare display with a 91% screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by a 10th gen Intel Core i7 processor with MX350 graphics, 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD. It comes with Windows 10 preinstalled and offers a battery life of up to 10 hours on a single charge. It comes with a scissor-switch keyboard and is equipped with stereo speakers with DTS Audio processing support.
The HP 15s-du1066TU laptop features a 15.6-inch Full HD anti-glare display. It is powered by a 10th generation Intel Core i3-10110U processor coupled with 8GB RAM and a 1TB HDD. It runs on Windows 10 Home and comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019. It features two USB ports and one HDMI port. It features a minimalist design and is a good option for entry-level users.
The Mi Notebook Ultra features a 15.6-inch 3K anti-glare display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a 11th gen Intel Core i5 processor coupled with 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, allowing you to easily multitask. It comes with a wide touchpad and a fingerprint scanner. It comes with Windows 10 Home preinstalled. It offers up to 12 hours of usage on a single charge and comes with 65W charging support.
The Asus VivoBook 15 is equipped with a 15.6-inch Full HD display IPS anti-glare display and is powered by the Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor. This is paired with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256GB SSD. It comes pre-installed with Windows 10 and is equipped with a fingerprint sensor. It is a lightweight device and weighs just 1.9kg, making it easier to carry around with you.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a Windows 10 operating system along with a 15.6-inch display that has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It is powered by a Core i3 processor and it comes with 8GB of RAM. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 packs 1TB of HDD storage making it ideal for school and college students.
Pros
Cons
Battery life
Sound output
Great display
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